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Tom Goodin, (born 6 Feb 1970) is an American guitarist and songwriter, best know as a founder, guitarist and lead song-writer for the Washington D.C. based band The Pietasters[1], and co-founder of the SlugTone! record label.

Born just south of Washington, D.C. in Alexandria, Virginia, Goodin grew up in Fairfax, Virginia and attended Lake Braddock High School[2][3].

Goodin played violin and trumpet in elementary and junior high-school, before picking up the guitar. With Greg Eklund, future drummer of Everclear, he formed the band Red October at Lake Braddock[4]. He also played with Sound Mind, a Robinson High School based band, with singer Paul Vesilind and drummer Doug Wallace. Vesilind later played trumpet with the Pietasters for a short period of time, before forming his own bands (Hazmat and Service) and moving to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career.[5][6][7] Doug Wallace went on to graduate from Juillard School of Music and perform with a number of national orchestras and symphonies.[8]

While at Lake Braddock Goodin met Tal Bayer and they attempted to form a band[9]. Although nothing came out of this meeting, they did reunite at Virginia Tech and Radford in the Blue Ridge Mountains the next year and, with classmates Stephen Jackson, Ben Gauslin, Caroline Boutwell and Chris Watts, formed the Pietasters.[10] [11] Goodin proceeded to tour nationally and internationally with the Pietasters for the next 11 years, serving as lead songwriter and guitarist. He is credited with over 40 song-writing credits, and helped engineer and produce the bands albums and videos during this period. He wrote, co-wrote and arranged songs on 8 different Pietaster albums during this period: the self-titled "The Pietasters" a "phenomenal record" and a "masterpiece of the genre",[12] Oolooloo, Comply, Willis, Awesome Mix Tape #6 "Hands down, the best ska release of 1999"[13], Turbo and their live album, Strapped!, in addition to numerous earlier tapes and 45's, much of which was captured on the 1992-1996 compilation album (released in 2003). The Pietasters received the Washington Area Music Award for "best ska band" in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and best album (Awesome Mix Tape) in 2000[14].

Goodin also co-founded the SlugTone! Records label, which was originally the publishing arm of the Pietasters before they were signed by Moon Records and later Hellcat/Epitaph Records[15]. He was also instrumental in initial forays to sign bands to the label, in particular the Virginia-based Instigators[16].

A life-long bluegrass fan[17], in the late 90's Goodin also formed the Arlington, Virginia based traditional and alt-country band The Lost Fermatas, featuring local session musicians and in particular Kenny Haddaway on lap steel and Claire Gilbride on vocals[18][19].

In 2001 after the death of fellow band-mate Todd Eckhart and years of touring, Goodin finally retired from the Pietasters and now lives in Northern California.


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